Blog

Frank Bruno boxer #BlackHistoryMonth #WorldMentalHealthDay

This letter from Frank Bruno was written for serving prisoners at HMP Leeds. We're publishing it here to mark both Black History Month and World Mental Health Day. Hello its Frank Bruno here. I have been asked to mention Black History month and talk a bit about the prejudice’s I experienced when I was younger my best known story was involving Cass Pennant who is a good friend of mine

2020-04-17T10:46:05+01:0010th October 2017|Black History Month, Blog, Sport|

World Mental Health Day 10th October: Workplace Wellbeing

10th October 2017 is World Mental Health Day. Mental health problems can affect anyone, any day of the year, but 10th October is a great day to show your support for better mental health and start looking after your own wellbeing. The theme for World Mental Health Day 2017 is workplace wellbeing. Mental health problems at work are common. At least one in six workers is experiencing common mental health

2020-04-16T18:02:29+01:0010th October 2017|Blog, Depression, Mental Health Awareness Week, Stress|

Nina Simone singer #BlackHistoryMonth

Born to a Christian family on February 21st, 1933; Nina was the sixth child to a North Carolina preacher, Mary Kate Waymon and Handyman, John Divine Waymon. Her early aspiration was to become a concert pianist, which lead her to audition at Curtis Institiute of Music in Philadelphia. She was rejected; a decision she felt was based on her Race. Taking up studies in Music at Juilliard School in New

2020-04-17T10:46:02+01:009th October 2017|Art, Black History Month, Blog|

Ira Aldridge actor #BlackHistoryMonth

Ira Frederick Aldridge was an American and later British stage actor and playwright who made his career after 1824, largely in London and in Europe and is most famous for his Shakespearean roles. Born in New York City, Aldridge went to the African Free School in New York City at aged 13. The school was established by the New York Manumission Society for the children of free Black people and slaves. They were given a classical

2020-04-17T10:45:59+01:008th October 2017|Art, Black History Month, Blog|

Best Start Peer Support Project – what people thought

The Best Start peer support project offers a six week course to support expectant parents and the parents or carers of children under 2 years. To help us evaluate the course and to keep improving it, we always ask participants for their feedback. Here are some recent comments: What did you think of the course content? It taught me so much about myself and my emotional wellbeing. The subjects were

2020-04-17T10:45:52+01:006th October 2017|Blog, Carers, Community, Families, Feedback, Peer Support|

50th Anniversary Leeds Carnival Parade

The Leeds carnival is an amazing celebration which incorporates all three essential elements of authentic West Indian carnival: costumes, music and masquerade procession. It is one of the longest running West Indian Carnivals in Europe and began in 1967, therefore, marking the milestone 50th anniversary in 2017. On this special occasion, the carnival exceeded the expectations of the public, and the crowds of people gathered. It brought an explosion of

2020-04-17T10:45:42+01:005th October 2017|Blog, Community, Events, Families|

Connecting the dots – Community Support Team and CMHT

I commenced my secondment with Touchstone at the beginning of July for a period of three months. It was an opportunity to explore different ways of working and to form better links between Touchstone Community Support Team (CST) and the Community Mental Health Team (CMHT). On my first day the Chief Executive, Alison, came and welcomed me to Touchstone and I met with Operations Director, Jim. I had met most

2020-04-17T10:45:22+01:0029th September 2017|Blog|

How to be Mindful on World Mindfulness Day!

Would you like to do something to mark World Mindfulness Day or are you are curious what mindfulness is all about? Mindfulness is a fairly simple idea about how we direct our focus of attention, but like many things that may sound simple, it can be a little tricky to actually do! The basic principles of mindfulness are about: Paying attention to the present moment On purpose Without judgement For

2020-04-16T18:02:28+01:0012th September 2017|Blog, CBT, Stress|

Take a minute, change a life

World Suicide Prevention Day – 10th September 2017  “Take a minute, change a life” Every year, nearly 1 million people die by suicide and up to 20 times as many make a suicide attempt. Behind these statistics are the individual stories of those who have, for many different reasons, questioned the value of their own lives. Each one of these individuals is part of a community. Some may be well

2017-09-11T15:55:58+01:0011th September 2017|Blog, Depression, Suicide|

World Suicide Prevention Day

10th September is World Suicide Prevention Day. According to the Alliance of Suicide Prevention Charities (TASC), suicide is the greatest cause of death amongst young men (15-44) in the UK as well as many young women too. Every four minutes someone in the UK tries to kill themselves and every hour and a half someone succeeds.Research from the Office of National Statistics that was published in 2016, shows women’s suicide has

2020-04-17T10:43:11+01:008th September 2017|Blog, Suicide|